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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

51-4122 Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Set up, operate, or tend welding, soldering, or brazing machines or robots that weld, braze, solder, or heat treat metal products, components, or assemblies. Includes workers who operate laser cutters or laser-beam machines.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
35,110 3.1 % $19.35 $40,240 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.93 $15.16 $18.42 $22.84 $27.60
Annual Wage (2) $26,890 $31,540 $38,310 $47,510 $57,410


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 5,650 0.94 $17.71 $36,840
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 4,740 0.96 $19.76 $41,100
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 4,600 0.61 $19.27 $40,080
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) 2,380 0.49 $18.45 $38,370
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 1,830 1.11 $17.93 $37,290

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing 1,260 5.42 $20.00 $41,600
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 1,830 1.11 $17.93 $37,290
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) 4,740 0.96 $19.76 $41,100
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 5,650 0.94 $17.71 $36,840
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) 4,600 0.61 $19.27 $40,080

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 350 0.06 $27.72 $57,650
Ship and Boat Building 200 0.14 $26.56 $55,240
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 110 0.09 $25.37 $52,770
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 110 0.01 $24.24 $50,410
Building Equipment Contractors 130 0.01 $24.20 $50,340


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Indiana 3,000 0.98 4.09 $16.81 $34,950
California 2,790 0.16 0.67 $19.95 $41,500
Michigan 2,700 0.62 2.60 $19.41 $40,360
Texas 2,480 0.20 0.83 $17.83 $37,100
Tennessee 2,060 0.68 2.86 $18.69 $38,870




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 430 1.02 4.26 $20.96 $43,590
Indiana 3,000 0.98 4.09 $16.81 $34,950
Mississippi 980 0.87 3.64 $18.50 $38,470
Kentucky 1,650 0.87 3.64 $23.25 $48,370
Iowa 1,330 0.86 3.60 $19.37 $40,280




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 50 0.17 0.72 $30.47 $63,370
Louisiana 220 0.11 0.48 $24.84 $51,660
Washington 130 0.04 0.16 $24.66 $51,300
Kentucky 1,650 0.87 3.64 $23.25 $48,370
Massachusetts 1,190 0.33 1.37 $23.18 $48,220





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,320 0.66 2.78 $21.23 $44,150
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 1,130 0.24 1.01 $16.86 $35,060
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 1,040 0.17 0.70 $19.30 $40,150
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 940 0.34 1.40 $22.80 $47,420
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 650 0.18 0.74 $16.50 $34,320
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 590 0.19 0.81 $18.51 $38,500
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 580 1.02 4.26 $18.21 $37,880
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 540 0.51 2.15 $16.86 $35,070
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN 510 0.77 3.23 $18.12 $37,690
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 500 0.48 2.01 $16.87 $35,080




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Columbus, IN 140 2.82 11.79 $18.03 $37,510
Joplin, MO 130 1.66 6.94 $13.86 $28,830
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 170 1.24 5.20 $17.13 $35,620
Winston-Salem, NC 320 1.19 4.99 $23.08 $48,000
Jackson, MI 60 1.07 4.48 $16.87 $35,090
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 580 1.02 4.26 $18.21 $37,880
Gainesville, GA 90 1.02 4.25 $14.76 $30,690
Fort Wayne, IN 210 0.97 4.06 $16.88 $35,100
Chattanooga, TN-GA 240 0.97 4.04 (8) (8)
Muskegon, MI 60 0.92 3.84 $19.14 $39,800




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Baton Rouge, LA 80 0.20 0.84 $28.18 $58,610
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 90 0.04 0.18 $27.07 $56,310
Springfield, MA-CT 160 0.49 2.04 $26.70 $55,530
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY 70 0.13 0.56 $26.02 $54,120
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 170 0.12 0.51 $24.94 $51,870
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 170 0.14 0.60 $23.41 $48,700
Fresno, CA (8) (8) (8) $23.37 $48,610
Cedar Rapids, IA (8) (8) (8) $23.28 $48,430
Winston-Salem, NC 320 1.19 4.99 $23.08 $48,000
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (8) (8) (8) $22.93 $47,700

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area 590 3.65 15.28 $15.99 $33,260
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 380 1.41 5.88 $17.02 $35,410
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 370 2.81 11.78 $21.18 $44,050
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 330 1.76 7.37 $14.24 $29,610
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 310 1.43 5.97 $17.02 $35,410

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area 590 3.65 15.28 $15.99 $33,260
East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 370 2.81 11.78 $21.18 $44,050
Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area 170 2.09 8.75 $19.77 $41,110
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 210 2.04 8.53 $20.46 $42,560
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 330 1.76 7.37 $14.24 $29,610

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 50 0.43 1.78 $24.36 $50,670
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 40 0.46 1.91 $23.54 $48,960
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 90 0.48 2.00 $22.38 $46,540
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $21.45 $44,610
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 150 0.45 1.88 $21.35 $44,420


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020